Fresh out of West Virginia University, Matthew Peaslee has been a Pirates fan for over two decades. While times have been hard, Peaslee remains a loyalist. He has been to 26 of the 30 MLB ballparks, but PNC Park has always been his summer home. With every slide there will be Pittsburgh Pride!

It’s been a while

These past few days have been pretty busy for myself. I hate makng excuses for not blogging especially in the summer when school is out, but I have been bogged down by work and other summer activities.

While you all have read about these three stories I am about to report on from many media outlets. I just want to give my two cents.

There ya go!

Anyway, a baseball legend has stepped down, and it really is a shame it had to end this way.

There is not a soul that does not like Ken Griffey Jr. He is often hailed as a favorite players and the face of baseball. In the 90’s and 2000’s Griffey made the game of baseball accessible to a new audience. Inner city kids who would much rather pick up a basketball than a glove noticed “The Kid” dominate a sport with superb athletic ability at the plate and in the field. His image will forever be tied to greatness as an amazing ballplayer but maybe an even better role model.

Griffey’s career should have ended last year as a 39 year old. He wore out his welcome this year as he flirted with the Mendoza Line and failed to add to his 650 homerun total. He was carted off the field in last year’s season finale in Seatle, that epic ending should have been the perfect way to shut the door on a nearly perfect career.

It is sad when athletes wear out their welcome. Michael Jordan should have retired right there after that classic NBA Finals shot in Utah. Brett Favre is the rare excpetion to this retirement rule. I guess Griffey made the right decison to end his horrid play of 2010 to help out his struggling Mariners.

Point two may just be the hot button issue of the 2010 sports world.

There are so many opinions on what to make out of this Armando Galarraga not-so perfect game. So I will make mine short and sweet. Jim Joyce should have called Jason Donald out regardless. On a play like that you have to know what was at stake whether Joyce thought he was safe. It was a bang bang play and the tie, even though it was not, should have went to not the runner, but Galarraga.

That all being said, it was not a perfect game! What makes baseball so unique is that human judgement that controls the game. For almost 150 years the game has been played naturally under the control of umpires. It is how it has always been the controversy and discussions add to make the game of baseball what it is. Replay should not be brought in. I do not want to see robots over seeing the basepaths or managers in the dugout throwing out challenge flags. Keep the game traditional and pure. However, in that situation other umpires, especially the homeplate umpire, should have been able to over rule or at least meet up with Joyce to decide that the right call was made.

Finally, the least important topic has to do with a Pittsburgh hometown hero, Neil Walker.

The former 1st round draft pick has been milling around in the minors for quite some time. He struggled a bit for the past few years but since being called up he has been blazing a trail and surpassing expectations.

Walker won the game for the Pirates on Tuesday with an 8th inning 2-run homerun to beat the Cubs 3-2. Walker is maintaining a .321 batting average while switching between third base and second base. If he keeps this up he will definitely be a cornerstone on the Bucs for years to come.

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1 Comment

We share a brain I think on the role of umpires in our game of Baseball. I think you raise a great point, that Ump Joyce should have been prepared to call him out regardless just knowing the enormity of the moment. But no! i don’t want the call changed now. And Griffey never made you think of anything bad. Griffey’s was a standard more of today’s players should strive for.
Mikehttp://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

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